Sample question: Studying the literature component is useful. Do you agree?

Answer: The literature component was made part of the Malaysian school curriculum in 2000. This move was seen as vital as literature has untold benefits for language learners. I strongly believe that studying the literature component is useful because it helps promote language learning, exposes students to a variety of cultures, improves thinking skills and gives us a better understanding of mankind. To begin with, studying the literature component helps encourage language learning. Literature texts, be they poems, short stories or novels, can be used to teach grammar and vocabulary. Grammar and vocabulary exercises generated from literature texts are more interesting and motivating. They not only help us improve our understanding of the language but also help us learn new ways of using language. Exposure to new words, interesting phrases and literary devices such as metaphors, similes and personification show us how language can be used creatively. By learning the various literary devices we can even create our own examples of such devices. Next, it cannot be denied that literature texts expose us to a variety of cultures. The short stories and poems studied in Form Four are written by foreign and local writers and through these texts we learn to understand and appreciate cultures and ideologies which are not similar to ours. The poem Monsoon History, for instance, exposes us to the Baba Nyonya culture. The short story The Drovers Wife exposes us to the hardships of people who live in the Australian bush. Looking for a Rain God, which is based on a true story, exposes us to the hardships faced by the people in Botswana and how one family in particular succumbs to the old practice of ritual killing. These and the other texts expose us to the lives of different people across the continents and also their ways of dealing with circumstances. The authors force us to explore our beliefs and those of other people and by doing so we are able to understand people of other cultures.

Moreover, studying literature also helps us improve our thinking skills. When we actively engage with literature texts, we are forced to think about characters, themes and issues raised by the author or poet. We learn to gather information not only from the text but also from our own observations, experiences, and reflections as well as those of others. We learn to view things from different perspectives. All these help develop our critical thinking skills. Finally, literature gives us a better understanding of mankind. Great authors have, over the centuries, conveyed their insights into human nature through an amazing assortment of characters from all walks of life engaged in a variety of activities. These characters, from the virtuous to the despicable, help us understand the people around us. We might recognise some women around us who are materialistic like Mathilde from The Necklace or cruel like Ravis stepmother in The Return. Seeing such similarities can help us to understand and accept other people. We cannot deny that there are immense benefits to be reaped from studying the literature component and Education Ministry should be lauded for making a wise decision to include it in the English Language syllabus. Someone once said, A man who does not read or reads little or reads only trash, is a person with an impediment. Literature texts, be they classics or modern texts, help remove these impediments. They are living texts and we should not overlook the incredible wealth they offer us. [580 words]